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Tomsim
Tomsim is the largest and oldest nation in the world, spreading across the western half of the continent. Its enormous wealth comes from its productive trading houses and the beneficience of their patron deity. History The nation now known as Tomsim grew slowly from a collection of small city-states, consolidated into a single nation during the Five Week War. While the structure of Tomsim has remained effectively unchanged, the self-regulating nature of the hinterland provinces has maintained an effective power structure for centuries. Geography Tomsim is a mostly temperate nation, spreading from the mountainous regions on the Clanlands border down to the rolling fields of Adele in the south. Unlike the Kingdom of Raven, most of the wide plains between the mountains and the sea are poorly irrigated, with only a single major river flowing east to west. The less-efficient farmland means that the average Tomsimese farm is considerably larger than the Ravenite equivalent, and also that the Tomsimese diet is notably poorer in meat. Economy As a nation, Tomsim's wealth stems entirely from its trading links with Raven and the Merrovian Empire, although this is markedly less true outside the immediate hinterland of the city of Tomsim itself. In the back country, the economy is driven primarily by intercommunity trading, which is mainly conducted by the extensive travelling halfling community. Taxation Tomsim's taxation policy focuses on import and export tariffs, the latter considerably higher than the former. The low national budget means that most of the smaller towns and villages are never taxed at all. Demographics While a human-dominated nation, Tomsim has the highest proportion of halflings of any nation. Nearly a third of the nation's population is halfling, and the majority of these are part of one of the enormous trade caravans that criss-cross the nation. Unlike Raven, there are no major dwarven cities in Tomsim, a product of its sandier soils and much deeper rockhead. Religion The religious focus of Tomsim is directed towards Boccob, in his aspect of the god of knowledge and balance. Clerics of Boccob preside at criminal trials, weddings, funerals, and weekly services. Attendance at these services hovers at around a quarter of the population, but most homes have a small shrine to the All-Seeing somewhere in the home. Because of the magical focus of Boccob, Tomsim produces a surprisingly large number of arcane spellcasters and mystic theurges. Politics and Government The governing council of Tomsim is based upon the wealth of its members, each of whom is the head or designated proxy of one of the great trading houses. The council's membership and focus is in constant flux, but it rarely interferes with the lives of its citizens, typically focusing its efforts on fine-tuning the trade-tax laws and alternately reinforcing and drawing down the garrisons that cover the southern border. Military The army of Tomsim consists of two overall groups - the Border Guards, who maintain a series of fortress-posts along the southern border; and the Coast Guard, who maintain a large fleet of frigates, corvettes and cutters to protect trade and deter smuggling or piracy along the Tomsim coast. Vessels that pass out of the Tomsim territorial waters are on their own, however, and this means that the northern coast of Adele houses a large number of pirate gangs. Culture While not as advanced as Raven or Merrow, Tomsimese culture has the advantage of age. The oldest theatres and museums are in the capital city, and the greatest plays and works of art of history have come from the sandy plains of this nation. Category:Countries